FAQs

There are a variety of volunteer committee positions and each November officers are elected for the next year. Call a Board Member if you have groups you would like to form or if you would want to serve on an existing committee, or email wolacommunications@gmail.com. (All Board Members and Committee Members serve without pay. Please thank them for their service when you see them.)

-Attend the Annual Meeting each November where you can vote on proposals, elect officers and meet your neighbors.

-Pay your dues on time.

-Please keep trash and recycling cans where they cannot be seen from the street. There are inexpensive yard screens on Amazon if you do not have room to keep them in your garage.

-Make sure your yard light is working.

-Do not park boat trailers, campers, RVs or utility trailers in your front yard, driveway or where they are visible from the street. (See the complete list of vehicles in our rules.) These should be stored offsite or in an owner’s garage or other structure.) Email wolaommunications@gmail.com for permission for short-term exceptions for things such as completing work on your property, etc.

You can find a host of answers on this WOLA website and more information on our private Facebook Group page, (WOLA Facebook Group). Go to www.WOLAmembers.com and find what you need to know. Please email wolacommunications@gmail.com with any questions. We hope you will enjoy living here! We also ask you to take time to learn our rules, covenants and restrictions.

WOLA’s mandatory dues are $400 per lot. With 205 member properties in our association, our annual dues provide $82,000 annually. We use the dues to fund operating costs, association projects and lake maintenance. Any money left at the end of the dues’ year is moved to our capital improvements fund.

Annual costs include things such as stocking the lake with fish, mowing, beach monitor pay, fishing tournaments, water tests, member communications, celebrations like the Fourth of July picnic and boat parade, and utilities at the beach. Capital improvements include major beach upgrades, dam maintenance and repairs, and efforts to curb silt build-up in the lake.

Notices are sent to each member’s postal address in January or February, and dues should be paid by March 1. As part of the website redesign, members will be able to pay 2026 dues via a secure portal on the WOLA website. A late fee of $40 for each property applies.  WOLA can place a lien on a property if dues are not paid on time. Members with past-due accounts forfeit their rights to vote at the annual meeting, and to use the lake and other WOLA resources, as outlined in our WOLA Covenants and Restrictions which are also posted on this website.

All WOLA members in good standing (Those who have paid their annual dues and any fines.) have access to the beach, dam area and lake during posted hours. The large sign in the parking area at the beach has many of the rules for the beach, dam and lake. Please note, members must be at least 16 years old to use these areas without an adult member present. This is a State of Illinois restriction that WOLA fully supports.

The swimming area is clearly marked with outer edge buoys. All swimmers who enter the lake from the beach are restricted to swimming within that marked area. Some exceptions may be made with WOLA Board approval. One example is long-distance swimmers who can ask for permission to swing across the lake. (They must yield the right-of-way to watercraft when outside of the marked swimming area as stated in State of Illinois law.)

No. It is used on a first-come, first-served basis. Members are encouraged to share the pavilion, beach and dam areas with other members.

Cars: Parking at the beach is limited and stickers help us make sure members can use our facilities. Only member-owned and registered vehicles with WOLA stickers on the windshield, back window or other visible window area may be parked in the parking lot. Some limited street parking access is available on village streets near the beach area. We recommend carpooling to avoid crowding resident parking on the streets near the parking lot.

Watercraft: All boats, kayaks and inflatables must be owned by the WOLA member (no guest watercraft are ever allowed on lake) and should display two WOLA stickers (one on each side near the rear of the boat) to be visible from any vantage point on the lake. This allows our beach monitors and lake volunteer monitors to easily identify registered crafts using the lake. Any watercraft owners operating unregistered watercraft without current stickers may be asked to leave. We must do this to protect our resources from trespassers. Our local sheriff helps us to enforce removal and compliance. WOLA does prosecute trespassers.

 How to get stickers: Members who have used stickers for their boats in the past automatically receive new, two-year stickers, on odd years, before May 1. Car stickers do not expire. If you need either car or boat stickers, call Mark Melody, at 309-229-8547. Stickers are free to members and MUST be used only on their own, owned watercraft or cars.

Yes. There is an 18-foot length limit on all watercraft. Only electric or pedal-powered propulsion can be used on White Oak Lake. NO GAS MOTORS may be used or even attached to any watercraft used on our lake. Electric motors are limited to 48-volts, max. and may not exceed a 9-hp-equivalent power rating. This is to avoid excess wakes that lead to erosion, and for general safety.

Absolutely! All guests must be accompanied by an adult WOLA member at all times while on WOLA property, and each member household is limited to 8 guests at one time. Those fishing need to have current Illinois fishing licenses. These can be purchased in East Peoria at the Bass Pro Shop and area Walmart stores. Senior Citizen licenses are also available at a discount.

Yes, WOLA has a state issued permit to oil goose eggs and remove them once mating season is completed. Geese are the major source of E-coli in the lake water and could lead to beach closure as well as health issues.

Yes. WOLA submits water samples to the state lab from Memorial Day through Labor Day, the months when E-coli is more likely to develop. If health issues are found, immediate action is taken, and members are informed.

In that general area, only seven homes, those with land/property touching the water line of the lake, are grandfathered into our association. All other property owners in Thornridge Subdivision are not WOLA members and may not use the lake without being a guest of another member. The inclusion of Thornridge or any other subdivision would severely overpower our resources. There are no plans to revise our defined membership geography.

These lights are meant to assure adequate lighting to help keep our neighborhood safe. Our subdivision has no electrical poles with visible electrical lines. Requiring each home to install an automated light improves safety Please note that many solar options can fulfill this requirement in addition to the traditional, hard-wired yard lights.

Yes. We contract with a company to monitor and control lake algae and nuisance weeds. They inspect and treat the lake during the spring and summer, and sometimes into fall. The chemicals used are safe for swimming immediately and do not affect the fish, whether for sport or consumption. If you live on the lake, be aware of the posted dates and directions for lake treatment. The chemicals can affect grass if lake water is used for watering lawns.

No. Trailers of any type must be stored within an enclosed structure out of view from any neighbors. In fact, there is a list of prohibited items which cannot be stored outside of your home or garage in the WOLA Rules as posted on this website.

It is not. While we know that leaves can naturally blow into our lake, we should all strive to help prevent that to slow siltation and to protect the pH values of the lake water. Decomposing leaves are a huge factor in algae growth, and in warmer months can decompose faster and accelerate its growth. Blue-green algae can be harmful if ingested, especially to pets. In Woodford County, we are allowed to burn our leaves. We can also bag yard waste and put it out for special pick-up dates. Bagged yard waste can also be dropped in the bins behind the Village Hall on South Holland.

Please note: Members blowing or raking leaves into the lake are subject to fines and disciplinary action from the Board of Directors.

We do not hire lifeguards. SWIMMING AT WOLA IS ALWAYS AT YOUR OWN RISK. We employ Lake Monitors at the beach to check-in members during high-use times, and to check for car and boat registration stickers. In addition, they help keep the area clean and the beach and dam area maintained.